Beneath the matte black surface, however, there's been more progress: Nike+, the FuelBand's companion app, is friendlier than ever, with the ability to group your buddies into separate categories. There are also new hourly reminders to stay active throughout the day and a Sessions feature to monitor activity in a set timeframe. More than ever, though, Nike's finding itself in a crowded wearables market. Though it was one of the early victors, has it done enough to maintain its lead? Grab your water bottle and we'll walk you through it.The FuelBand SE weighs, feels and looks almost identical to the 2012 edition. Nike knows the current design is solid -- so why mess with it? Unlike rival fitness trackers, it's not a flexible rubbery watchband. It's more like a bracelet -- kind of like the Fitbit Force, just more rugged. It just hangs better, but then again, that's a pretty subjective point. Certainly, it's nice not to have something constantly wrapped around your wrist as you sweat. The FuelBand SE also houses the same 100-dot LED display as the original, though it whizzes through readouts and options faster than its predecessor. It also automatically adjusts brightness depending on ambient light. This, coupled with Nike's choice of a dot LED interface, remains a stroke of genius. Given the matte finish of the band, there's no reflectivity, meaning I could read the screen in full daylight without any issues.
"GO MAT"
Those projected numbers on a soft-finish surface still look cool too -- especially when the FuelBand splashes out some color when you reach your Fuel goal. It's still a conversation starter whenever someone notices the fireworks going off on your wrist. I just wish Nike had followed Fitbit's example and expanded on what the band could display. On the right/left of the display (depending on which hand you use) there's the single button that handles all your navigation needs. Swipe through that to see your Fuel total and clock. Fuel is Nike's own exercise metric -- it's not calories or a pedometer, although you can add these to your FuelBand through either the web interface or iOS app.
We'll dive into the bigger feature additions later, but the new 'band can now display the time through a simple double-button press. Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? However, on the older band, you had to laboriously scroll through your Fuel and calorie totals to check the time, making it an utter waste of, well, time. It's a simple improvement that's made using Nike's model in place of other smartwatches (or even real watches) much more viable.
The USB input that connects and charges the band also acts as the clasp, snapping into place with a satisfying "click." Like its predecessor, which I've been using for a year, there's no risk of it coming loose, although the metallic link (which now has a black coating rather than plain metal) is more prone to scrapes due to its position at the base of the band. There are extra links in the box, and Nike also sells the device in three sizes: small, medium/large and x-large. As it happens, the bigger two have a bigger built-in battery (70mAh vs. 50mAh), which means it should last longer, although we've only tested the large size. It's a relief to see that Nike's solved our biggest issue with the original: the fact that you had to charge it every two or three days. With relatively sedentary use, the new model requires a recharge about once a week. Having said that, if you're constantly running marathons and logging sessions, you can expect fewer days on a charge -- from my time with it, around three days.
In terms of sheer functionality, the two biggest changes to the FuelBand are the Sessions and Hours features, although it's worth nothing that both of these can also be enabled on the older model through an update. The Hours feature remains optional, but once it's on, it'll automatically nag you before the end of each hour to leave your desk and do something to help boost your Fuel total. It's not a huge challenge: You need to pick up five Fuel points every minute, for five minutes, to "Win the Hour."
Winning the hour sounds like sports corporation blather, but when it's coming from a wearable devoted to getting you moving more, it's a common-sense feature. You can set it up through your PC (when plugged in) or through the FuelBand app. Either way, you'll also get to choose which hours it'll scrutinize. However, if you're not looking (and I've missed it even when typing, with my wrist in full view), then that's not much of a reminder. A gentle vibration, or even a subtle sound, would've been appreciated. If you're using an iPhone with it (and it makes sense to) you can send the reminder as a notification to your phone, offering a more eye-catching nudge to action.
The second new feature, Sessions, is activated by holding onto the band's physical button, which will flash "start" onto the LED dot display. Another tap will send the band into a three-second countdown. Nike isn't too specific on what the Session function accomplishes. Is it simply a way to add "dividers" between activity and non-activity? Maybe. From my time wearing the band, I didn't find it any more accurate when I launched into Session mode before a jog.
Since Sessions can circle off specific activity and offer up a Fuel-per-minute gauge of how hard you've been working, it means you can better compare your efforts against friends across different disciplines -- at least that's Nike's take on it. Sessions can be assigned to a specific activity, meaning comparing an hour-long shuttle run session against, say, your buddy's 30-minute boxing session is made a little clearer. It evens the playing field, if only a little.
There are still some drawbacks: Because the band is water-resistant, there's no swimming option, and we're not sure how it's able to properly measure a gym workout. What's the difference between someone lugging weights around and someone just lifting their water bottle? My biggest complaint with Sessions is the tendency to forget that I was logging an activity -- the FuelBand doesn't advertise it clearly enough. There's a subtle dot that beats away in the top-right corner of the band's display, but that's all, meaning that extended running session might inadvertently include your shower and 30 minutes sitting on the couch.
0 comments:
Post a Comment